Can you transfer to Birmingham council fostering from an independent agency?

A transfer to Birmingham City Council’s fostering service involves a fresh decision about your approval, rather than a simple change of organisation. The council will need to understand your experience, household circumstances, current approval terms and any children placed with you before deciding whether it can approve you.

Start with an informal discussion

Speak to Birmingham City Council’s fostering service about your reasons for considering a move and explain that you are already approved by an independent fostering agency. The council can outline its requirements, the likely stages of its assessment and whether your fostering experience matches the types of placements it is seeking.

You should also speak openly with your current agency. Check your fostering agreement for the requirements around notice, resignation, confidentiality, records and the management of existing placements. It is usually sensible to avoid making a formal commitment until you understand how the proposed transfer would affect you and any children in your care.

Information the council may need

Birmingham will normally need detailed information from your current agency so that it can assess your suitability safely and properly. This may include:

• your original fostering assessment and current approval terms;
• the types and ages of children you are approved to foster;
• your fostering reviews, training record and development plans;
• details of previous and current placements, including the support provided and how placements ended;
• health, household and safeguarding information that remains relevant;
• details of any complaints, allegations, investigations or standards-of-care concerns; and
• references and statutory checks where these need to be updated or repeated.

The council may be able to use some existing evidence, but you should not assume that every part of your previous assessment will transfer automatically. The extent of any further assessment depends on the information available, how recently checks were completed, and whether your circumstances or approval needs have changed.

Assessment and approval

You may need to complete Birmingham’s application and assessment process, meet with a social worker, provide updated documents and undertake any training identified as necessary. The assessment should consider the whole fostering household, including relationships, support networks, employment arrangements, health, pets, accommodation and the impact of fostering on any children in your family.

Your experience as an approved foster carer can be valuable, particularly where you can show how you have worked with social workers, attended training, advocated for children and managed difficult situations. It does not, however, remove the council’s responsibility to make its own assessment and approval decision. If the council proceeds, your approval will need to specify the terms on which you can foster, such as the number, age range or needs of children you can care for.

The proposed approval will be considered through the council’s fostering decision-making arrangements. You should ask whether a fostering panel recommendation is required in your circumstances and when you will receive the formal decision. Until the new approval is confirmed, you should continue to follow your existing agency’s instructions and approval conditions.

What happens to children already placed with you?

A transfer must not be treated as an administrative matter if a child is living with you. The child’s welfare, stability and relationships should remain central to the planning. The placing local authority, the child’s social worker, your current agency, Birmingham’s fostering service and your household may all need to agree how the change will be managed.

A child will not necessarily move simply because you change fostering service. In some cases, the preferred plan may be for the child to remain with you under revised arrangements. In others, the placing authority may need to consider whether the placement can continue, who will provide support and how records, delegated authority, reviews and safeguarding responsibilities will be handled.

Do not give notice to your current agency or make promises about a child’s future before this has been discussed with the relevant professionals. A transfer may be more complicated where a placement is new, approaching a planned ending, breaking down, subject to a formal review or affected by safeguarding concerns.

Notice, records and the changeover

Once you decide to proceed, the services will need to agree the practical changeover. This can include formal notice, sharing records lawfully, completing outstanding reviews, transferring training information and confirming who is responsible for support and supervision during the transition.

You should keep copies of important documents, including your approval details, training certificates, review records, financial statements and written agreements. Ask both services to confirm in writing:

• the date on which your existing approval will end;
• the date on which any new approval will begin;
• which service is responsible for each child during the transition;
• how supervision, out-of-pocket expenses and training will be managed; and
• what happens to outstanding payments, equipment and records.

Will your allowances and support stay the same?

Not necessarily. Allowances, fees, equipment arrangements, training requirements, supervision and additional support are set by the fostering service and may differ between organisations. Ask Birmingham for its current fostering allowance policy and find out how it deals with payments for existing placements before you agree to transfer. The amount and type of support should be considered alongside the approval terms, not after the move has been completed.

Reasons a transfer may take longer

The process can require additional consideration if your household circumstances have changed, checks have expired, your approval needs are different, records are incomplete or there has been a complaint, allegation or safeguarding investigation. A transfer should not be used to avoid an investigation or conceal relevant information. Being open with both fostering services protects you and helps ensure that any decision is based on a complete picture.

Before proceeding, ask Birmingham City Council to explain its assessment requirements and ask your current agency how notice and existing placements will be handled. Taking independent legal or specialist fostering advice can also be sensible if there is disagreement about records, payments, allegations or the proposed plan for a child in your care.